Inside King's-Edgehill School
Dear KES Family:
I was in a Zoom call yesterday with Heads of School for boarding schools across Canada. It was well organized and several times we were given questions and put into “break-out” rooms to answer them. Our overall theme was surviving and thriving in the pandemic. The first break-out question was, “What do we know?”.
The first person to answer the question went on a rant about how we know nothing, that unpredictability and uncertainty is a way of life, and that we cannot plan a thing because everything is subject to change. There was a chorus of support as other Zoomers in the break-out room had their say. I was the outlier. While I appreciate people’s frustration, I disagree with their conclusions.
When we look at what we have learned in the last year, it is clear that we know a lot, and not only is it possible to plan for the future, but it is essential that we do. We learned last year that no matter how superb your online delivery of the curriculum, at best it is a temporary solution. Nothing is better than in person instruction. We learned that more than anything else, our children missed their friends, and that no FaceTime or virtual platform takes the place of being in the same physical space. We have learned that our students are resilient, that they care about their education, and that they want and need to be active in everything from sports to board games. Above all, they want to be together. We have learned that teenage behaviour has changed. I cannot tell you how many times one of our KES students has said: “We value what we have here so much that no one is thinking of jeopardizing it by doing things like drinking and smoking.”
We have learned that we don’t have to say no to everything. If we think critically and creatively, we can have a successful Terry Fox, come 4th in the world (!) in robotics, can be the top debaters in Atlantic Canada, and run a Halloween Dance and Christmas Advent Service. There is a way; we just have to find it.
I have learned that there is no end to the kindness of Atlantic Canadians. The number of families and staff who offered their homes for students from the HRM this week (and for the Christmas Holidays) is truly heart warming. The boys and girls in the dorms have been equally warm in welcoming their friends into their rooms this week. The excitement of having day students come into boarding has been huge! There is a happy slumber party feel to the campus right now. We are also learning that it is not only easy but kind of fun to bring students who are at home this week into the classroom.
We are all learning about ourselves, and we are all gaining a greater understanding of what we need to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially healthy. One cannot underestimate the value of a hug and human contact.
In the big picture, 2020 has provided more opportunities for our children to learn in real time about the role of government and the media in society, of the complexity and inter-connectedness of the local and global economy, of the acceleration of climate change, and the necessity to treat all people of all colours and faiths and persuasions with dignity and respect, and how de-stabilizing (and sometimes violent) it is when we don’t.
Our plans at King’s-Edgehill School will always be to fulfil our Mission and cover the curriculum with the very highest of academic integrity and expectations. However, more than ever before, our plans must include innovative ways to offer our students a childhood that is socially and emotionally and mentally healthy.
